Benavidez stops Zurdo, calls out Canelo and Bivol at 175

Contributor ·4 May 2026

David Benavidez forced Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez to quit on his stool after six rounds Saturday night, claimed unified cruiserweight titles in his third weight class, and immediately turned his attention to Canelo Alvarez and Dmitry Bivol.

Benavidez weighed in well under the 200-pound limit and looked smaller across the ring at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, but overwhelmed Ramirez with hand speed and power that carried up from heavyweight/" class="internal-link text-bone underline decoration-ash/30 hover:decoration-gold underline-offset-2">light heavyweight. Per MMA Fighting, Benavidez landed multiple eight-punch combinations that left Ramirez swollen around both eyes by the fourth round. Ramirez took a knee late in that frame, beat the count, then slugged it out in the fifth before his right eye ballooned shut in the sixth. He waved off the referee at 2:59 of the round and went straight to the hospital.

Canelo ringside as Benavidez renews challenge

Alvarez attended the Cinco de Mayo weekend card to support Jaime Munguia, who won the co-main, and Benavidez seized the moment. “I see Canelo in the building. Do you guys want to see Canelo vs David Benavidez?” he asked the crowd, drawing a roar, according to Bad Left Hook. “Enough said. That means we can’t leave that fight on the table. I respect Canelo, he’s a great champion, but I’m a great champion, too. Let’s do it.”

Benavidez has chased Alvarez for years, dating back to when both fought at middleweight/" class="internal-link text-bone underline decoration-ash/30 hover:decoration-gold underline-offset-2">super middleweight. Alvarez repeatedly said Benavidez was not a big enough name. Asked after the fight whether he believed the match could happen now, Benavidez told reporters he did not know but pointed out he still holds the WBC belt at 175 pounds. “Bivol’s No. 1 on my hit list,” he said, referencing the Russian who holds the other three heavyweight/" class="internal-link text-bone underline decoration-ash/30 hover:decoration-gold underline-offset-2">light heavyweight straps. “Bivol’s a great competitor, a great champion. I just want to test myself every single fight.”

Alvarez is expected to face Christian Mbilli for the WBC super middleweight title in September. Bivol defends against Michael Eifert in Russia on May 30.

Photo: Вячеслав Евдокимов / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

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